“The wicked flee when no man pursues; but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
(Proverbs 28:1 MKJV)
In Daniel chapter three we learn of Daniel’s disobedient friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They had the audacity to defy King Nebuchadnezzar, to disregard the command to fall down before the gold image which the king had set up (v.7). When singled out and given the opportunity to do as commanded, they said to the king, “O, King Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to return a word to you on this matter. If it is so that our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, then He will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods nor worship the golden image which you have set up” (Daniel 3:16-18 MKJV).
Now there’s bold. Like so many of our Biblical heroes, Daniels friends are almost larger than life. Bold. Moses faced the Pharaoh. Bold. David faced the giant. Bold. Deborah (Judges 4:4) a prophetess and judge of Israel battled against the enemies of G-d.
From where comes this boldness? A boldness from our G-d came to all these men and women, these Biblical heroes. It is a boldness that grew within them. It was nurtured like a mother would nurture her infant. G-d, as our Father, nurtured the boldness throughout their lives. They were once young, but they grew.
When thinking of King David, we need to remember he was once a small boy tending a herd of sheep. Remember that he learned to sling rocks to drive away the natural enemies of his sheep. Remember that he spent hours in the evening, alone and on watch, gazing at G-d’s handiwork in the sky—the splendor of the evening stars. He learned to trust G-d and what G-d had taught him. He spent hours praising G-d. He developed a relationship with G-d. David was bold, after being nurtured by G-d.
We, too, can be bold. But h0w? The Proverb says “the righteous are bold as a lion.” I don’t feel righteous. I’m just me, struggling to stay afloat in the waves of life’s sea, a stormy sea.
From where comes this righteousness? Let’s look at Abraham. “And he believed in the LORD. And He counted it to him for righteousness”(Genesis 15:6 MKJV). But that was Abraham, another larger-than-life hero of the Bible. Abraham, like David, was nurtured by G-d, raised to believe. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews, inspired by G-d, tells us to look “to Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and sat down at the right of the throne of God” (Hebrews 12:2 MKJV).
Think about this: 1) Our boldness comes from our faith, which comes to us from Y’shuaJesus. 2) Our righteousness comes from our faith, which comes to us from Y’shuaJesus.
And our faith grows daily as we submit to our Heavenly Father, the mediation of His Son, our Savior Y’shuaJesus, through His Holy Spirit. Our faith is nurtured with loving care through that which we experience, through the many situations into which we are placed. We grow in faith. Like a child learning to walk, we crawl, we stand, we stumble forward, we fall, we rise again. It is a process. G-d nurtures our faith.
Lord Bless, Keep, Shine. . .
JonahzSong 